Occasionally, we give behind the scene tours of our museum collection storage areas. The cigar ribbon smoking jacket is one of my favorite artifacts that I like to show visitors on these tours.

During the Victorian era, cigar smoking became a popular pastime for men. Many homes had a private drawing room where men would gather to smoke and visit. Men would don smoking jackets and smoking caps which absorbed the odor of the cigar smoke. During the late 1800s, cigar manufacturers bundled their products in batches of 25 or 50 cigars and tied the bundles with gold silk ribbons on which were printed the manufacturers’ names. Women who did fancy work and quilting found a purpose for these silk ribbons and created quilts, table runners, and smoking jackets from them.

The quilted smoking jacket in our collection is made from gold, yellow, and orange silk ribbons and features a shawl collar. We have several examples of the loose silk cigar ribbons in our collection as well. The vibrant colors of luxurious silk ribbons are transformed into an unusual and outstanding article of clothing, making it one of my personal favorites.

That in the manuscript section of the Research Division is a small collection of the Tenth United States Infantry that contains a compilation of orders issued from the Headquarters of the Army, Adjutant General’s Office out of Washington, D.C. dating from 1895 regarding individual soldiers being transferred from one post to another or other assignments. Many will involve troops either at Fort Sill, Indian Territory or Fort Reno, Oklahoma Territory. Each order is dated and the booklet has been indexed.

That on November 28th, 1934, the Indian Archives at the OHS opened its doors to the researching public. The first archivist, Rella Watts Looney, had processed, cataloged and indexed over one million pages of records devoted to the Five Civilized Tribes. She began her efforts in 1929. Her career spanned 45 years which during that time, an additional 2 million plus pages of records from tribal agencies with exception of the Osage, were added to the collection.

I recently had one of those “I love my job” moments. We have several United States flags in our collection that are purported to be the “last” flag flown on the battleship U.S.S. Oklahoma. I was pleased to discover that we do indeed have the last one.

The U.S.S. Oklahoma (BB-37) was moored on battleship row at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. It was struck by Japanese torpedoes and quickly capsized with 429 sailors and Marines losing their lives. The ship was righted and placed in dry dock in 1943. Its superstructure and guns were removed prior to the decommission ceremony that was held on September 1, 1944.

As I unrolled the red, white, and blue wool bunting 48 star flag, I was thrilled when I saw markings on the canvas hoist edge. Stamped on the canvas was “Mare Island, February 1944.” Written in ink was “Last flag to fly on the U.S.S. Oklahoma (BB-37), September 1, 1944, S.S. Isquith U.S. Navy Commander, Commanding.” Lt. Commander Solomon S. Isquith was the engineer officer on board the U.S.S. Utah on December 7, 1941 when it was sunk at Pearl Harbor. After the Japanese attack, he was placed in charge of salvage operations at Pearl Harbor and he presided over the decommission ceremony for the U.S.S. Oklahoma in 1944. He stated, “Today the life of a ship will come to an end – as a combat vessel – after 35 years of honorable service in all areas of the world. We will be sorry to leave her.”

The last flag to fly on the U.S.S. Oklahoma was presented in 1945 to Governor Robert S. Kerr who in turn gave it over to the Oklahoma Historical Society. It remains safely in our care today.

Want to know more about your house? Here are some guidelines for researching your home in Oklahoma County. Some of the resources will be helpful for you even if your home is not here in central Oklahoma. It will depend on what records are available for your county. (more…)

Dennis Wolf Bushyhead was born in the Cherokee Nation east in 1826. The eldest son of Rev. Jessie Bushyhead he removed to the Cherokee Nation west in the early 1830s. At the age of 20, he was lured to the gold fields of California where he remained until 1868 upon which he returned to the Cherokee Nation settling at Fort Gibson.

By 1871, he entered the political realm whereby he was elected as Treasurer of the nation. In 1879, Bushyhead was elected Principal Chief and was reelected in 1883.

This proclamation was executed during his second and final term as Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

The end of November marks two tragic events in our pre-statehood era. November 29th, 1864 in southeastern Colorado, Chief Black Kettle’s band of peaceful Cheyenne’s were brutally attacked by the 1st Colorado Volunteers lead by Colonel John Chivington. Though told to fly the American flag as a sign of peace, Black Kettle’s camp was nearly all massacred by the men under Chivington’s command.

Sadly, nearly four years to the day on November 27th, 1868 another massacre took place at Washita in northwestern Oklahoma in what is Roger Mills County near Cheyenne, Oklahoma. A mix of Cheyenne’s under Black Kettle, Arapaho’s and some Kiowa’s were suddenly attacked by General George Custer in what must be considered one of the most cowardly military attacks second only to Sand Creek. This time, Peace Chief Black Kettle was killed with his family.

The members of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Kiowa’s still mourn their loss to this day. For more information about these historical incidents please see The Sand Creek Massacre and The Battle of the Washita authored by Stan Hoig.

Thanks to our assistant director, Jeff Briley, we have a recent addition to our collection. He picked up several recipe books written by Aunt Susan. Some of you may remember Aunt Susan from her food columns in the Daily Oklahoman and her cooking program on WKY Radio in Oklahoma City. Edna Vance Adams served as food editor of the Daily Oklahoman from 1929 to 1943. She conducted an annual cooking school during that time and her recipe books were souvenirs given out at the school. Aunt Susan’s recipes were clipped from the newspaper and became cherished favorites in the recipe boxes across Oklahoma, with many people mistakenly believing that there really was an “Aunt Susan” somewhere in their family tree.

Edna Vance Adams moved to New York in 1943 and eventually became the food editor for McCall’s Magazine. She left McCall’s to focus on radio and television programs. In 1951, she published a cook book titled “Susan Adam’s How-to-Cook Book.” We are fortunate to now have one of the rare copies of this book in our collection.

The Oklahoma Museum of History has recently acquired a remarkably unique quilt.

The Von Keller Coverlet, as it is lovingly referred to by the donor, Ellen Jonsson, came to her in a family lottery. She “drew the long straw” and the quilt became hers.

The story goes something like this: Dr. Frederick Von Keller moved to Ardmore, Indian Territory, from Vernon, Texas, in 1894. There he opened the community’s first hospital, the Ardmore Sanitarium, in 1901. After that building was destroyed in an explosion, he opened the new Von Keller Hospital in 1917. The Von Kellers had two children and one of the daughters, Beatrice, was one of the earliest female graduates of OU. Beatrice married and had children. At some point, family legend says, Dr. Von Keller accepted the quilt in payment of medical services.

Ms. Jonsson married one of Beatrice’s sons. She tells us, “About 30 years ago, Elaine, Katherine and I were at Grandmother Bea’s home. She was in her seventies at the time. She told us that we were going to have a lottery. We wondered what on earth she had in mind. She came back from the kitchen with three straws concealed in her hand. She said the person drawing the longest straw was going to get something. I drew the longest straw and the ‘something’ was the coverlet. I have always thought that she manipulated the outcome because she knew that I would take care of it and ensure that moths didn’t get to it, that it wasn’t left out or carelessly handled.” We’re so glad Grandmother Bea rigged the lottery!

As you can see from the photos, the quilt is a combination fan block/crazy quilt design. The fans alternate direction every other block and are constructed in typical crazy quilt fashion with the pieces appliquéd to a base block. Floral crewel embroidery embellishes the background above each fan with the exception of a swan on one block and the words “Fancy Work” on another. The embroidery is excellent with even stitching and texture. The foundation squares are of striped shirting. The fan blades are made from fabric typically used in suits, dresses and shirts with some satins and wools. Each fan point is velvet. There is no batting or backing; however, there is a binding made from one of the suiting fabrics. Because there is no batting or traditional backing, ‘coverlet’ may be the more appropriate term, after all. The maker did not sign or date the piece. An appraisal has dated it at 1885-1899. It is in remarkably good condition, with no major damage.

This is just one of the many fine quilts entrusted to the care of the Oklahoma Historical Society. We will continue to highlight them in future blogs, so check back often!

The Ned Hockman Collection [2009.100] is one of great fascination, spanning four decades and numerous pursuits of this notable Oklahoma filmmaker. The materials include film scripts, correspondence regarding filmmaking, and teaching materials from Hockman’s tenure as a professor in the University of Oklahoma’s Journalism/Motion Picture Production program.

Ned Hockman was always interested in communication. During his term as a student at the University of Oklahoma, he worked as an announcer and writer for the OU educational radio station WNAD. During World War II, Hockman received motion picture production training with the Air Corp at the Hal Roach Studios in Hollywood, California, under the tutelage of Frank Lloyd and William Keeley. He served as a service correspondent with the Air Corp in India, Burma, and China. He filmed the first B-29 raid in that region and was with the Wingate-Cochran glider invasion of Burma filming combat motion picture coverage. When World War II ended Hockman returned to the University of Oklahoma and established the Motion Picture Production program. When the Korean War broke out, Hockman was recalled to duty on February 15, 1951, by the Air Force. He was an officer in charge for the Korean detachment of the second photographic squadron. His responsibilities were to write scripts, take motion pictures, and shoot still photo coverage of Air Force activities. His stint covered action on the ground and in the air. He covered the Peace Conference, air attacks, ground support and rescue missions behind enemy lines. These films were used for staff reports, information, and educational services.

In July of 1952, Hockman returned to the United States where he edited and produced three films for the Air Force in Washington D.C. before being released from duty on August 31, 1952. On September 1, 1952, Hockman returned to his position as Supervisor of Motion Picture Productions at the University of Oklahoma where he covered all the “Big Red” football games, and where he became the director and cinematographer of the nationally televised Bud Wilkinson sport shows, “Inside Sports,” “Inside Football,” and “Inside Basketball.” At that same time he began to teach film production and provide contract work through the University for companies such as the Lowe Runkle Company. From 1949 to 1987, Hockman taught film direction, script writing, and other journalism courses.

Hockman worked as a producer, director, cameraman, and film editor for over 200 non-theatrical motion pictures. In 1962, he worked as a director/editor and co-producer for the theatrical film “Stark Fear” starring Beverly Garland. Recognized by the National Press Photographers Association, he was given an award for his contributions to film and photography in 1971. Hockman understood filming and was a delegate to the Cannes Film Festival and other important film festivals held in Mannheim, Germany, Warsaw, Poland and at Berkley, California.